One-third of Oregon counties vote to secede to join 'Greater Idaho'

One-third of Oregon counties have voted in support of the "Greater Idaho" movement to secede from Oregon to join their conservative eastern neighbors.

Wallowa County became the 12th in Oregon to join the initiative after officials finalized the special election results Tuesday, according to Fox News.

The vote was held in May and the preliminary results showed support for joining Idaho led by 21 votes. By the time the votes were finalized the following month, the lead shrunk to seven, avoiding Oregon's threshold for a mandatory recount by one vote.

The "Greater Idaho" movement began in 2019 with the idea that large portions of rural eastern Oregon could leave to join Idaho. The movement has since grown to include people from California and Washington, according to the group's website, which says the idea behind the movement is "so that conservative counties can become a part of a red state."

So far, 12 out of 12 counties that have held elections on the matter have voted in favor of exploring secession. The original "Greater Idaho" movement includes 15 of Oregon's 36 counties.

Wallowa County's election results require its commissioners to discuss a merger with Idaho. 

In order for the border to move, both state legislatures and Congress would have to approve the measure.

Democrats have been opposed to the idea while Republicans have approved of it.

"I'm very pleased this measure has virtually no chance of advancing into reality," Idaho Democratic state Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow told Fox News Digital in March. "It would be bad for all involved and bad for the country, and I am opposed to it at all levels."

Republican state Rep. Judy Boyle said: "I am supportive of the Greater Idaho idea. I have lived along the Oregon border my entire life, so have many east Oregon friends. They have been quite frustrated with the liberal I-5 western Oregon corridor running their state and completely ignoring their values and needs."

Madeleine Hubbard is an international correspondent for Just the News. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram.